New Beginning
by Lacey
Summary: A small glimpse into Toad's thoughts. Everyone gets tired of always being on the outside and looking in. Added the last chapter and an epilogue. Enjoy!
1. Default Chapter

Author's Note: I've only seen two eps of X-Men Evolution, so this story may be a bit shaky. Still, in those two eps, Toad has kind of grown on me, hence this story delving into Toad's psyche. Also, for me, this is a very short story. I'm not sure whether or not I want to continue it, but if I do, it will probably get a bit slashy. 

**New Beginning**

Todd Tolensky, as usual, sat outside by himself and watched the clusters of friends enjoy their lunches. People traded snacks and jokes with a type of camaraderie that he had always envied. Todd knew what everyone said about him. Freak. Disgusting. A failure. They didn't even try to get to know him, damn it! Why should he care what they thought when they didn't even take the time to learn about him? 

Warm laughter swirled around Todd's ears and he glared over at Sommers and the X-Freaks. The Blue Boy was entertaining them all by dancing on the table. It wasn't fair! Blue Boy was even more of a freak than Todd, yet he was still able to find friends! 

Todd Tolensky - the human toad - remained by himself. Even the Brotherhood avoided him. Glancing down at himself, Todd decided that he couldn't really blame them. He wasn't exactly the most useful member of Mystique's merry little band. He could hop around and slime things. Big whoop. 

Jealousy seethed inside of Todd as Rogue sat down beside Sommers. "Traitor!" he wanted to shout. He wanted to remind the X-Freaks that Rogue had been a member of the Brotherhood first. He wanted to break them all apart, watch them tear at each other's throats. He wanted... 

He wanted... To be a part of their little circle, no longer the outsider looking in; to know there was someone to stand up for him. Todd quickly snapped his mind from such musings. He knew that such acceptance was impossible for one such as him to find. 

Todd was jerked roughly out of his self-pity as he was hefted up from behind. He started to kick and struggle, but with one good punch to the stomach, Todd folded into feeble submission. _'Football players,'_ Todd mentally sneered. _'Jocks! The prime example of the normal life that I'll never have!'_ Each of the boys surrounding Todd stood tall and strong, having the kind of features that belonged between the covers of teen magazines. Each face held a confident smile, the boys feeling safe in their strength of numbers. Todd shut his eyes, both to block out their perfection and to show helpless submission. Maybe if he just went along with him, they wouldn't drag him to the boy's room and give him a dunking in the toilet. Another blow came, and the inevitable whimper escaped Todd. 

"Vhy do you do zhis?" a soft familiar voice asked, interrupting the jocks' fun. "Five on vone does not hardly zeem fair." Todd's eyes flew open in amazement. What the hell was the elf trying to do? 

Kurt smiled his easy smile at the football players, but Todd could see a dangerous glint in his eyes that spoke quite plainly of impending violence. "Get out of here!" the blond guy, Lonnie, snarled, but Kurt merely stood his ground. Todd had to give Blue Boy points for bravery. Not many ever stood up to Lonnie and his crew. 

At some unseen, unspoken signal, a dark-haired boy whom Todd wasn't familiar with broke away from the group and attempted to punch Kurt. Attempted, yes, but the attack never made contact. Kurt may not be as fast as Pietro, but Todd knew from personal experience that the elf was easily one of the fastest guys at school. With an easy leap and flip backwards, Kurt was out of reach and smiling infuriatingly. "Iz zhat ze best you can do?" 

With a start, Todd realized that the fuzzy elf was providing a distraction. Turning, Todd spat into the face of his captor and wrenched free. Once his feet touched the ground, Todd leapt to safety. Glancing back across the grounds, Todd couldn't help but wonder why Kurt had helped him like that. They were supposed to be enemies, weren't they? 


	2. Part 2

Author's Note: After being stunned by the good responses to New Beginning, I figured I'd write up a bit more on the story idea that's been bouncing around in my head. Again, though, let me say that I've only seen 2 eps of X-men Evolution (Strategy X and Middleverse), so if my portrayal of the chars is a bit off, that's why. Also, if I don't get side-tracked, this story may get somewhat slashy. 

**Part Two**

The final bell rang and the Bayville halls flooded with students. Everybody was heading out to get their weekend started. Well, almost everybody. Todd sat quietly in the detention hall, serving time for a crime that he hadn't committed. He should have guessed that word of the fight would reach the ears of some dumb teacher. He also should have known that he, and not the jocks, would end up getting punished. Life sucked. 

Lance settled into a seat beside Todd and propped his feet up on the back of the chair. "So, Toady, I hear Fuzzboy saved your ass today," he snickered. Todd hunched down lower in his seat, telling himself that he would not respond. Detention was going to seem longer than normal with Lance sitting there whispering insults. Todd only hoped that if he said nothing Lance would get bored with the jeers. "You better hope Mystique doesn't find out, Frog-face. She might decide you're going soft like Rogue did, and then do something about it." 

Todd maintained his stony silence with difficulty. He knew that Lance was merely baiting him, but that didn't lessen how badly he wanted to turn around and shout that his name was not "Toad" or "Frog-face" or any other amphibian nickname that Lance could come up with. Damn it! He wasn't sub-human! Why did everyone have to treat him as if he were? No one made fun of the Blob, at least not to his face. Of course, Todd knew that if he too could flatten a car, no one would get on his case either. 

Glancing over, Todd saw the corner of the latest issue of Power-girl sticking up out of Lance's backpack. Without giving it a second thought, Todd snagged the comic book with his tongue and settled down to read. The last issue had left Todd hanging with Power-girl, a character obviously designed to be every teenage boy's ultimate wet dream, facing off against the Radioactive Slugs, and now Todd was eager to see how she would be losing most of her clothing in this battle. 

Todd flipped to the first page, only to have Lance reach over and swipe the comic back. Wrinkling his nose in disgust, Lance tossed the comic book at Todd's head. "Yuck! You slimed it! Man, I am going to get you for that, Toad! You are so dead when we get out of here." Todd's shoulders rose up to his ears as he tried to draw in on himself. Not for the first time, he wished he'd been cursed with some useful ability, such as invisibility. 

Detention ended all too soon for Todd, and he marched out of the room humming a funeral dirge under his breath. Lance's steps echoed off of the hard linoleum floor as he followed behind Todd. The doors were just ahead... Twenty steps... Ten... Todd placed a hand on the metal bar and glanced back at Lance, who merely smirked evilly at him. Pushing the door open, Todd stepped outside. 

Todd swallowed hard when he saw Kurt sitting out on the steps. "Ah, Todd." Kurt hopped up, his usual easy-going smile firmly in place. "I thought I vould zee how you were doing. You took a couple of hard hits earlier." Todd started to tell the elf to butt out and mind his own business, but Lance picked that moment to shove past him. Stumbling, Todd caught himself at the edge of the steps. 

A slight tremor rocked the ground as Lance began playing his sadistic game. Todd opened his mouth to tell Blue Boy to just get lost, and then shut it just as quickly, an idea popping into his head. Grabbing onto Kurt's arm, Todd hissed, "Get us out of here. Now!" Blinking in surprise at Todd's urgent command, Kurt complied, teleporting them in a poof of smoke right into the girl's locker room. 

Todd slumped back against the row of lockers, thinking that it was a good thing that there wasn't anyone in here right now. He expected Blue Boy to pop out of sight and abandon him any second now. After all, Kurt had done his good deed for the day and had no real need to stick around. When Kurt showed no signs of leaving, Todd decided to ask the one question that'd been eating him up inside all afternoon. "Why'd you do it, Fuzzy?" 

Kurt wrinkled his nose as Todd's fragrant aroma became more cloying in the damp air. "Vell," he answered honestly. "Zhe locker room was zhe first place I thought of." 

A small laugh bubbled up inside Todd at Blue Boy's misunderstanding, but he quickly swallowed it. Taking a couple of steps away from Kurt to give him a bit more breathing room, Todd clarified his question. "I meant earlier today, Fuzzy. Why'd you save my ass from Lonnie?" For the first time, Todd noticed how Kurt winced at being called "Fuzzy," and realized he was acting towards Kurt as Lance always did to him. 

Kurt flipped off his image inducer and motioned to himself. "Zhis should be answer enough. I know zhose guys were simply going to beat up on you because you're different, and I couldn't just sit around and watch." Kurt pushed a strand of dark hair out of his eyes and laughed. "Scott and zhe others have been giving me hell all day because I helped you, but I really don't care. It's not like ve can help being zhe vay ve are." 

Todd looked down at the webbing between his fingers in frustration, then jammed his hands deep into his pockets. "Yeah, whatever." He kept telling himself that he and Kurt were supposed to be enemies, but Kurt was the first person to ever seem to come close to understanding him. Deciding that the best thing to do would be to get out of there, Todd pushed past Kurt. 

"Hey, Todd," Kurt called. Todd turned, not knowing what to expect from the other mutant anymore. Kurt held out a three-fingered hand. "I know ve've been on zhe wrong foot from day vone, but you vant to hang out some tomorrow?" 

_'Just when I thought this couldn't get any weirder,'_ Todd gaped. But looking into Kurt's face, Todd couldn't see anything that might hint at this being some sort of prank. _'Oh what the hell.'_ Todd pulled his hand back out of his pocket and clasped Kurt's. "Sure, Kurt. That'd be cool. Thanks." 


	3. Part 3

Author's note: Again, I want to thank everyone who's taken the time to review. You guys have no idea how pleasantly surprised I've been by all of the responses to this story. After some discussion with a couple of friends who've seen more of Evolution than I have, we came to the conclusion that Todd probably considers himself to be "trailer park trash," hence he's developed a smart ass attitude to overcompensate for feelings of inferiority. I figure that when confronted on his home turf, Todd would probably be a bit more vulnerable, not being able to hide his background. Anyway, in this chapter, Todd gets a shower! And if I keep with this story, it will eventually turn into Todd/Kurt slash, so be warned! 

**Part 3**

Scattered as if by some giant hand, the trailers spread haphazardly across the park. From out of the ground, scraggly patches of brush reached for the sky with all of their pathetic might. _'Home sweet home,'_ Todd thought as he kicked at a beer can. He was glad the Brotherhood didn't know where he lived. They would laugh him right out of the group. _'Well,'_ he amended, _'Fred probably wouldn't, but Lance and Pietro on the other hand...'_

With an easy leap, Todd hopped up onto the hood of his dad's car. He knew no one would care. The dumb machine hadn't run in ages. The car had been a real beauty in its day, though. A 1970 Ford Torlino, bright red, not as sleek as the cars which roamed the road today, but filled with a classic grace and charm none of the newer cars had yet learned to emulate. All that was left, though, was the rusted out hulk sitting out front of his dad's trailer. 

When he was younger, Todd had dreamed of fixing up the old car and driving it around Bayville. As he crouched down and stared through where the windshield should have been, Todd decided that now he couldn't care less about what happened to the car. He merely snapped up a spider crawling across one of the moldy seats and hopped down. 

After spending a moment hunting for his key, Todd unlocked the trailer door and went inside. "Hey Pops!" Todd called. "I'm home!" He got no answer except from the blaring TV, advertising the wonders of Preparation H. No big surprise. Todd crept around the greasy, beat-up armchair and flipped off the TV. The equally greasy, snoring form of his father never stirred. 

Now that he was home, Todd settled into the routine which he'd learned over the years; the familiar movements ingrained in his muscles by rote. First he dumped his books on his bed. He'd get to his homework later, doing just well enough to get by. No sense drawing more attention from his teachers than was necessary. Why bother doing well anyway? For the most part grades weren't really a measure of what you knew, just how much effort you put into the work. 

Glancing once more at his dad, Todd began straightening. He threw away a couple of beer cans, dumped out the ashtray, grabbed a rag and did a bit of dusting. He'd take the trash out after supper. Todd's chores were simple enough, and they gave both his father and himself a sense of normalcy they otherwise would have lacked. Todd's father wanted to deny that his son was a mutant, so Todd played along. 

_'Crap!'_ Todd groused silently as he looked at the calendar. _'It's laundry day.'_ He grabbed a handful of change out of the jar on the counter, then went to get the hamper of clothes and the detergent. Todd scribbled out a note so his father would know where to find him, and then, with his arms full, dashed across the street to the laundromat. 

After half an hour in the sweltering laundromat, Todd was bored. He lay stretched out on a table, browsing through a magazine someone had left behind earlier and watching people go by. The last thing he expected was to see the X-Freaks stroll by. Todd tried to hide his face behind the magazine, but he'd been spotted. Kurt broke away from the group, probably promising to meet up with them later Todd decided, and went into the laundromat. Damn, damn, and double damn! Was that blue freak trying to stalk him or something? "Hey, Todd! Fancy meeting you here, no?" 

Hoping that Fuzzy would take a hint, Todd shrugged without looking up from the magazine. Unfortunately, the hint flew right over Kurt's head. "Zhe guys and I are going to zhe movies. You vant to join us?" Want to? Hell, Todd would have loved to go! The problem was, all the cash he had was the change he'd grabbed earlier. 

"Can't." Todd answered, wishing he were telepathic so that he could project "go away" right into Kurt's head. Kurt gave Todd a confused look, and Todd jerked his thumb at the washing machines. "Don't you guys ever have any chores at that big mansion of yours?" 

The light finally dawned in Kurt's eyes. He didn't leave, though, choosing instead to hop up on the table beside Todd. Craning his head to get a good look at the magazine, Kurt asked, "Zo vhich article are you reading? Fifty vays to become an animal in bed or how to give zhe perfect kiss?" Todd felt the color rise to his cheeks with a blazing intensity as he tossed the magazine aside. Truthfully, he hadn't been reading either article, just wondering what kind of lives the people in the pictures led. 

Todd was saved from having to respond by the appearance of his father. Todd hid a smile at the sight of Kurt cowering before the older man in the grimy wife-beater whose bulk hadn't yet gone to middle-aged fat. "You going to be much longer, Todd?" Mr. Tolensky asked, his voice gruff and scratchy with drink. 

Todd shook his head. "Only an hour or so, Pop. It's about time to put everything in the dryer. Sorry I'm taking so long. Got a late start on things because I had to stay after school." 

As if this were an accepted fact of life, Mr. Tolensky nodded. "All right." His eyes flicked briefly across Kurt. "Who's your friend?" 

Kurt answered before Todd could even get his mouth open. "I'm Kurt Wagner. I've got some classes vith Todd." Todd prayed silently that his dad wouldn't invite Kurt to join them for supper. The last thing he wanted was for Kurt to see where he lived. He knew he was screwed the moment his dad's eyes lit up. Todd could easily guess that his dad was thinking something along the lines of, _'Hallelujah! The boy's got friends! He must be normal after all!'_

Sure enough, Todd's dad didn't disappoint him. "You want to stick around for supper, Kurt? It won't be much, just TV dinners, but it's no trouble to fix up an extra one." Kurt nodded readily, never one to turn down the offer of free food. Mr. Tolensky departed, his smile filled with relief at seeing that his son apparently did lead a normal life. 

Todd turned his attention back to the wonderful world of laundry, sinking into a sulky silence. When he realized that his attempts at conversation were only going to meet with failure, Kurt sighed. "Did I do zometing wrong?" 

Shaking his head, Todd put fifty cents into the dryer and started it. "No, you didn't. It's just, well, my dad and me... We don't exactly live in a mansion. This won't be anything like what you're used to." Kurt's face filled with unspoken curiousity, but a sad note in Todd's voice told him that now would not be the best time to ask questions. The two boys sat in silence waiting for the clothes to dry, and then folded the clothes together in that same silence. 

As soon as all the clothing was packed neatly in the basket, Todd led Kurt across the street. He didn't really think that Kurt would laugh at him, but a small part of his mind worried about it all the same. After all, how could anyone be expected to take their enemy seriously upon finding out that their enemy was nothing more than trailer park trash? Even the Brotherhood knew nothing about Todd's home life. Well, except for Mystique since she had access to his permanent record, but she didn't really count. 

At least Todd figured that his dad wouldn't be too embarrassing. Mr. Tolensky never drank much on the rare occasions when there was company. That much, at least was nothing to worry about. For the second time that day, Todd fumbled for his key and opened the door. He motioned Kurt in ahead of him, half-afraid to say anything. 

Kurt sat down and began having a very normal conversation with Mr. Tolensky while Todd rushed to get the laundry put away. Listening in, Todd couldn't believe how absolutely average the kitchen talk sounded. Mr. Tolensky asked about school, grades, extracurricular activities - everything you'd expect a parent to ask upon meeting one of his kid's friends for the first time. 

Supper also proved to be fairly ordinary. The three guys crowded around the TV with their trays, and once they'd agreed on a show, the only sounds proved to be the clinking of forks and knives. All Todd had to do was sit between his dad and Kurt so that his dad wouldn't accidently elbow blue boy and realize the kid had fur. The dinner was over before Todd knew it, and Kurt was saying his farewells. Todd stood in the doorway, feeling a slight pang of loss and reminding himself that he'd see Kurt again soon enough. Was this what it was like to have a real friend? Todd didn't know. 

As Mr. Tolensky grabbed a Bud out of the fridge, Todd decided that maybe he should get cleaned up. Kurt hadn't done anything to embarrass Todd, so the least that he could do in return was be semi-presentable when he hung out with Kurt tomorrow. Todd stared at the shower, realizing that he'd not actually tried to get himself truly clean in a long time - far longer than he cared to admit, even to himself. Soon he was under the blast of warm water, reacquainting himself with soap and shampoo. 

Lingering thoughts of Kurt remained with Todd all through the night. He kept thinking of all of the day's accidental contacts with the elf, remembering the feel of Kurt's fur - not coarse and bristly, but soft almost like down. Shaking his head one last time, Todd rolled over and went to sleep. 


	4. Alternate Ending

Author's Note: For those who don't like slash, here's a special alternate ending to this story. You need read no further than this. It is **NOT**, however, the actual ending, nor does this have much in common with the actual ending. This is just something for the people who won't have anything whatsoever to do with slash. For those who have been reading this story and dislike slash, well, I've said in every Author's Note of every chapter that this story was going to turn into a slash story. Normally I just write what I want without too much care of what other people think, hoping that those who read over my work while it's still in progress will give me honest opinions (for which I must say, "Thanks guys!"). Narrow minds irk me, however. Hence, I give you this alternate ending. 

**Let me repeat, though that this is not the real ending that I have planned.**

For those who cannot see that love is love no matter what form it offers itself in, I pity you. Anyway, in this chapter, Todd turns his back on the friendship he's been offered, thus losing all chance at the redemption he's been gaining in previous chapters. In other words, Todd's "new beginning" becomes a dead end. The next chapter will take off where Part 3 left off. I just had to go off on a tangent and make a point with this chapter. 

**Alternate (Not the Actual) Ending**

Todd awakened from dreams of blue-furred demons tormenting him. For a moment, he thought he was still trapped in his dream when the red light from his alarm clock gleamed at him like a pair of monstrous eyes. Todd crawled out of bed, stretched, and scratched himself both in mentionable and unmentionable areas. Slipping into his clothes, the same ones he'd worn yesterday, Todd went to scrounge up some breakfast. 

Only slowly did the previous day's events come back to him, and when they did, Todd wanted to bang his head against the wall. What the hell had he been thinking? He was as good as dead if he was seen hanging out with Blue Boy and the X-Freaks! 

All through the walk to school, Todd began convincing himself that Fuzzy couldn't possibly want to be friends with him. Kurt had to be plotting some terrible humiliation. Yeah, that was it! No one would really want to hang around Todd the Toad willingly. As his classes went on through the day, Todd repeated to himself his new mantra. _'Nobody likes me. Nobody likes me.'_

Todd knew exactly what he was: a tool. He did was he was told, and the Brotherhood offered him a bare minimum of acceptance. He wouldn't dare lose that on the off-chance that the X-Freaks weren't trying to trick him. _'Nobody likes me. Nobody likes me.'_

Lunchtime rolled around. _'Nobody likes me.'_ Kurt motioned eagerly for Todd to join him at a table. _'Nobody likes me.'_ Todd gave Kurt the middle-finger salute and went to join the Brotherhood. _'Nobody likes me. Nobody likes me.'_ He'd not been aware of Darkholme in the cafeteria until she came up behind him and touched his shoulder lightly. "You made the right choice, Todd," she murmured. Of course she would have been watching, would have guessed what was going on. 

Todd made no response, embracing the emptiness he felt inside. The X-Freaks were not for him, nor was Kurt. Todd was free to sink back into the iniquity and lonliness which was the Brotherhood. Friendship... Love... Kurt... He had no need for such things. _'Nobody likes me. Nobody likes me...'_

**The Alternate End**

(Not bad for something thrown together in about 15 minutes, huh? Hopefully the point I'm trying to make comes through.) 


	5. Part 4

Author's Note: Well, now that I got a bit of frustration out of my system with the alternate ending to this story, I can get back to the actual story which, as I've said since the first part, will be slash. Once again, as I've been saying with every chapter, **this is a slash story**. Highly understated slash, but still slash. Also, sorry about taking so long getting this done. My creativity demons took a vacation without me. Shame on them! And, since my creativity demons have only been talking to me about the ending, I've rushed a bit to get there, which is why this chapter is kind of forced in places. Also, I'm abandoning writing in Kurt's accent and leaving it up to the reader's imagination because spell check really hates going through Kurt's dialogue. 

The point of the alternate ending was not that narrow minds deserve a bad/depressing/whatever ending. Most of my stuff ends on a depressing note with a ray of hope for the future provided. In the case of the alternate ending, I merely took away that ray of hope. What I was trying to say was that I felt it would take something more than friendship (i.e. love) to bring about Todd's redemption. Admitted, that love is still in its very tentative stages in this story. 

**This chapter takes place where part 3 left off.**

**Part Four (AKA The Ending)**

The new day dawned bright and new. The birds were singing; the dogs were barking; the garbagemen were clattering around outside; Todd stuffed his head under his pillow. Mornings should be outlawed, and the day should start with noon. Todd would have gladly stayed in bed all day had he been given the chance, but he got up when his dad started yelling for him to get ready for school. 

Todd arrived at school just as the first bell was ringing. In the ten minutes he had before homeroom, he got his things stuffed in his locker and dashed for homeroom, arriving with time to spare. Sliding into his seat, Todd noticed Kurt smiling at him. Todd smiled back, then shot a warning glance in Pietro's direction, hoping Kurt would get the idea that broadcasting their friendship was not a good idea. 

Kurt's eyes followed Todd's gaze. Turning his attention back to Todd, Kurt nodded and shut one eye in a slow, deliberate wink. Todd let out a relieved sigh. Message received and understood. 

Lunchtime rolled around quicker than Todd thought it would, and he found himself standing in line trying, like so many other students, to guess the identity of the mystery meat. Kurt had managed to worm his way into the line beside Todd, and the two boys stood shoulder to shoulder as they slid their trays along. "Perhaps today it's rat," Kurt whispered, causing Todd to snicker. 

"That's what they served last week," Todd returned. "This week I'm betting that it's minced snake seasoned with crushed beetles." Whatever it was, Todd made sure that it was slathered in gravy to hide the taste. Some things existed that even he couldn't stomach without a lot of doctoring. Their commentary on the quality of cafeteria food finished, the boys paid for their lunches and went their separate ways. 

The end of the school day seemed to arrive just as quickly as lunch had. Todd got his books together, and went to wait by Kurt's locker, pretending to tie his shoe. When Kurt arrived, he chuckled as he saw Todd. "Are you planning on staying down there like that for long? Someone might get suspicious." 

Todd straightened and shouldered his bookbag. "Nope." He went to the nearest water fountain and began drinking, keeping an eye on Kurt. As soon as Kurt had his stuff together, Todd stopped drinking and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. The halls were starting to clear and no other member of the Brotherhood was in sight. "Now what?" 

Kurt shifted his bookbag from his left side to his right. "I know of a place. Found it a while back while teleporting around. It's quiet, but we for sure wouldn't run into anyone we know." Todd gave a noncommital shrug. He could handle being someplace quiet, and as long as he wouldn't be found consorting with the "enemy" well, so much the better then. Taking hold of Todd's arm, Kurt began teleporting. 

Four poofs later, the boys found themselves by a stream. The babbling water and the trees across the bank created a nice atmosphere. _'Almost romantic,'_ Todd decided. Bird song was plentiful and the roar of cars along the unseen road distant. Todd made a mental note to find out where this place was. He wouldn't mind using this place as an escape sometime. 

The boys set their bookbags down and began skipping rocks, or trying to because the moving water made it difficult. They also talked, the conversation drifting inevitably towards girls. "You ever kissed a girl?" Todd asked. 

Kurt shook his head. "I probably won't ever be able to until I'm old enough to convincingly add a beard to the hologram. The fuzziness would be a bit hard to explain. How about you? Ever really kissed anyone?" 

Todd grimaced, knowing that girls weren't his strong suit. He'd heard Lance and Pietro bragging about their conquests more than a few times, but his own experience with the opposite sex was rather lacking. For answer, he let his tongue fall out of his mouth and hang well below his chin, and the retracted it. "With a tongue like this, what do you think?" 

Kurt leaned close to Todd, eyes glitter with amusement. "I think that with a tongue like that, you must be a master of the French kiss." 

Todd howled with laughter, and soon tears were streaming down his cheeks. He would definitely remember that line the next time Lance began bragging. "That is the funniest thing I've ever..." Todd didn't get a chance to finish for Kurt had silenced him with a kiss. _'Oh damn!'_ were the first words to pop into Todd's brain, followed quickly by, _'Y'know, this isn't so bad...'_

When Kurt pulled away, his usual self-confident nature seemed to have abandoned him. Todd could see it in his pale eyes. Kurt was afraid. _'Afraid of what, though?'_ Todd wondered, though deep down inside he knew. Kurt feared that Todd would curse him, go away, tell the whole school. _'And I could do just that, too. Still, what he did took guts. Have to admire him for that. And... Well...'_

Todd reached out a trembling hand and stroked Kurt's cheek. "Pop'll kill me if he ever finds out about this," Todd whispered, and then brushed his lips lightly against Kurt's. "This stays a secret." Kurt nodded and laid his head against Todd's chest, a wavering smile breaking through. 


	6. Epilogue

Author's Note: Ok, I know I said that the last part would be the end, but I couldn't resist a short little epilogue in case I ever decide to write another Evo fic. ^_^ 

**Epilogue**

From the road, Prof. Charles Xavier had Storm stop his limo, sensing Todd and Kurt somewhere near. _'Love is a subtle beast, which appears in many forms and degrees'_ he mused. Charles made it a habit never to read the minds of his students without permission, but Kurt's thoughts had at times screamed out his emotions, though his actions masked his thoughts well. 

People said that love could move mountains. Charles knew, though, that sometimes it couldn't even make a ripple. He sensed though, that in this case, perhaps love had brought about a young man's redemption. Only time would tell, though. One day soon, Charles decided that he would again invite Todd to the mansion. 

Smiling, Charles remembered himself and Magnus at that age. He kept his thoughts to himself, though. The only words he said aloud were quite simply, "Let's go home." 


End file.
